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Thursday, July 6, 2017

Welcome to my diary, my journey, as I tripped and crawled through the darkest time in my life- when I witnessed people that I held incredibly close to me shatter my very existence with their words and actions. The things within this book spine are extremely raw and exceptionally real. You and I are going to get very close, the details in this book, although oddly general, are incredibly specific. Yes, I realize what I just said and as you read my words you will see what I mean. As you silently gasp and mentally bitch slap me, please be kind because my story is just that - my story. It is not any more or less special than yours. In fact the only difference between our stories are the choices we made at each of the crossroads in our lives. For most of my life the choices I made were not based on my happiness but on everyone else’s. This book describes what I have experienced in my journey to finding my happiness and hopefully never letting it go. Sadly, it took me thirty six years to find the strength I need to detoxify my life and self-view and find someone who is worthy of my awesomeness. Thirty six years to shatter the negative foundation I had built shatter the ultimate representative I created to hide behind and begin the process of building a new foundation. Only this foundation will be built on strength, confidence and above all, happiness. So take a minute or thirty and sit with my story for a while. You never know what you might find out.

Interview

What is the hardest part of writing your books?

I have found the hardest part to be allowing my life to be out there for others to read about and potentially judge. The struggles I have been through are real and the steps that I have taken to heal myself have been unconventional. I am hoping that people will read my story and realize that they are not alone. Sometimes getting another perspective helps you to realize that it is not what life throws at us that defines who we are. Rather, the choices we make are what make us who we are.

What songs are most played on your Ipod?

Surprisingly, I do not have a set list or even an Ipod!!! I am a huge fan of all types of music but recently I have been listening to a lot of upbeat pop music - current hits on the radio.

Do you have critique partners or beta readers?

I have a a few beta readers who helped me to edit my story. We read it out loud to each other. Since it is written in a conversational tone, the book lends itself to being read aloud.

What book are you reading now?

I am currently reading “Big Magic” by Elizabeth Gilbert.

How did you start your writing career?

When all of these experiences began happening I simply started writing them down. I had no idea it was going to turn into a book when I started. As I wrote though I realized that my story would have the ability to help others, and the rest well….

Tell us about your next release.

Right now I am working on turning this book into a more PG-13 version. I want to develop a book that will serve as a platform for kids and their parents to discuss real world situations and experiences. I am hoping to be able to share my journey in schools to let students know they always have a choice. If I can empower the younger generations to have more emotional resilience and find strength and happiness in their choices then that would be awesome!

About the Author

Welcome to my real, crazy, emotional, probably too honest journey. I am an everyday girl in this everyday world trying to keep my head above water and within the pages of this book you will learn about the things that have broken me down and the steps I am taking to build back up. You will see, my new friends, this story is written in a unique, general, conversational voice, which was my choice. I want you to be able to picture yourself in my shoes, relate my trials and tribulations to yours and see that you too can find your happiness. Even if you don’t realize this yet, every single one of us possesses things inside of ourselves that we didn't know were there. It took my life taking a crazy right turn and dumping me at the lowest possible point before I could see the strength within myself. We are not defined by what we do, we are defined by the choices we make. I decided when I put pen to paper that I want my choices to start defining me as strong, confident, secure and above all else, happy. So, who am I? How about I tell you who I was. A self-loathing shell of myself who put everyone else’s happiness before my own. Herein lies my story to find that happiness and all of the ups and downs along the way. See who I was and who I am trying to become and maybe, somewhere in there, you will find out a little about yourself too.